Last Hero
by avengfulDemigod
Summary: Gaea won, the Romans razed Camp Half-Blood, and now the Mist is gone. The Giants rule the world, the Gods and six of the Seven of the Prophecy are in Tartarus, leaving me as the only one standing. I am Nico di Angelo, and I am the Last Hero.
1. The Fall

**Prolouge: The Fall **

Gaea was just too strong! We didn't stand a chance against Pohyrion, especially in Tartarus. I thought… I thought we could actually win.

I guess I was wrong.

"_Percy! Annabeth!" They had already fought through Tartarus and made it to the Doors of Death on that side. But they had an entire army after them!_

"_Guys, get out of there!" Leo had armed the Argo II and was already aiming at the monsters, but he waited for the couple. Jason vaulted over the railing and flew down to their aid. Hedge had ran to the rail and started taunting the army, or… I think he was taunting. Wait, no, he was chucking bricks at them. I guess he wanted to get into the action already. Leo lowered the ladder, and I climbed down, drawing my sword, and charging into the hopeless battle. _

To think, I had actually thought we could end this, stop her from awakening. It was during that battle, everyone was defeated….

_I slashed through monster after monster, and I was pretty sure I was covered in golden dust. I turned to see how my friends were doing._

_Hedge fired on the army from the Argo II, and the goat had a good aim! Piper was holding her own against, about, ten earthborn. Leo was shooting bolts of fire at any monster that came near him and trying to make his way to Annabeth, who's ankle was still injured, and she herself was fighting a hellhound. Frank had transformed into an elephant and was charging through the army. I couldn't see Hazel anywhere, probably because she had mounted Arion. And I was probably correct, since there was a tan blur and an empousai just disintegrated next to me. _

_The most powerful two on the battlefield were obviously Percy and Jason. They were fighting back to back, Percy had summoned a hurricane around the two, and Jason had lighting flashing around it, zapping any monster that came near. The two were unstoppable, until Pophyrion made an entry. _

It was then I thought we had lost. Until…

_We had all teamed up against the giant. He was just too strong, especially with Gaea helping him. The guy seemed to move faster than all of us, and no one could get a cut on him. We were all exhausted, and we were about to give up. Until a sudden surge of energy passed through us all. I felt a strong aura behind us and turned, only to find the entire Olympian council. In one place. Zeus came and stood by Jason's side, and Poseidon to Percy's. The others stood by their respective child, Aphrodite to Piper, Hephaestus to Leo, Hades to Hazel, Ares to Frank, and Athena to Annabeth. Dionysus just stood by Hedge drank a Diet Coke. We entered a Mexican standoff, and then, eventually, the fighting started… _

It was then, we actually had hope. But of course, we couldn't. The Gods were eventually overwhelmed, Percy was eventually knocked out and subdued, and that was when everyone started losing hope. And then we surrendered. Well, Ares had to be knocked out, he never surrenders.

I… I was away from the circle everyone was fighting in. When they noticed one of us was missing, I ran. As fast as I could, and I shadow traveled back to Camp Half-Blood, only to find that Camp Jupiter had defeated it. Then the giants came, and the Romans stopped celebrating. I watched from afar as Octavian, who had claimed he was the leader of them all, was executed. The bastard deserved it.

But now… Gaea had won. She and her Giants ruled the world now, and the Mist was gone. Monsters started attacking mortals a few months ago, and the two camps were taken as prisoners. I've been in hiding for an entire year, and now, I think it's about to change. The Giants and Gaea have been in control for too long. Their tyranny had to end.

I am Nico di Angelo, and I am truely the last hero.

* * *

**Well, um... what did you think? Good? Bad? Okay? Please review! I'll give you a replica of Riptide c:**


	2. New Rome

**Chapter 1: New Rome**

I spent months planning and preparing by training, making minor attacks on the Giant's forces, visiting Annabeth's dad, Mr. Chase (I never really found out his first name), or the minor Gods that were declared "weaklings," or protecting demigods and mortals. Now, it was time to act.

For an entire year, ever since the fall of the Seven, Camp Jupiter was the only safe haven left for demigods. They let mortals in ever since the Mist dissipated. But now, the Giants were going to raid it. The Romans, no matter how much I hate them for destroying my home, could make a difference in this fight, and so I was going to help them.

I spent what little time I had preparing myself for this fight. I sharpened my dagger, It used to be a sword, but it's blade was cut in half by a giant Giant's giant sword. **(AN: This means that a big Giant, like Pophyrion or someone, cut his sword in half with a bigger sword.)** Mr. Chase had given me an M1911 pistol (I honestly don't know who would give an ADHD fourteen-year-old kid a gun, but hey, the world's changing) and pouch with more Celestial Bronze loaded magazines inside, which Hecate enchanted so it never ran out by retrieving the bullets and placing them in a new magazine. Pretty cool, huh? I don't know where Mr. Chase got the Celestial Bronze, but it was convenient that he did. Hecate also blessed me, so now I could use some minor magic spells. I felt a bit like Harry Potter, since I had to channel the magic through my "dagger." Oh, also, don't ask me how I know what kind of pistol it was, just don't. And- well, I think I've spent about enough time explaining my gear. Especially since I had to get to Camp Jupiter right away.

I shadow traveled from my safe house to Mount Tam, which was for some reason empty except for Atlas, who I figured they were going to replace with Artemis pretty soon. I gave him the number one finger, just for fun, and went to observe the battle. Which… wasn't going very well. New Rome was an island in a sea of monsters, and the Romans were barely holding them back. I obviously couldn't do much alone there, I'm not Percy, but I felt like I could find a commander or someone there, someone whose death would change everything. When it became clear that no one out there would matter, I started to try to think of ways to just eliminate every one of them.

It was hard to think of anything, until I finally got a bit of silence. Greek fire would make a nice, destructive weapon to use against them, but there weren't any Greeks left that new how to make it. I could always summon an army of skeletons to help them, but then I would probably faint or die from the amount of strength it would take. Maybe I could just charge in with the Romans and- wait, silence?

I returned my gaze to the battle, only to find that _there was no battle. _A figure in Roman armor was brought forward by an _emposuai_. It was hard to tell if they were a boy or a girl, but the person was wearing a purple cloak.

The symbol of a _praetor. _

I had to do something, _anything_ to stop their death, which was soon to occur, since they were bringing about an axe, and the Romans were locked in a place where they couldn't do anything. If they attacked, their leader would die. If they stayed put, their leader would die. Between a rock and a hard place, I see.

I gave up trying to think of a strategic approach, and then…

_**Third Person POV**_

The tension was thick enough that you could cut it with a knife, or maybe you'd need a chainsaw. The executioner's axe was slowly being raised, as the monster - or half-blood, it was hard to tell under that armor – found it ridiculously heavy. He finally raised it to the point where he only had to drop it to kill Roman, and he would have.

Had a figure in black not literally come from the shadows and slit his throat.

The man fell as Roman and monster alike stared in shock.

Nico di Angelo, the Son of Hades had arrived. He turned his attention to the monsters, and then to the Romans, "What are you waiting for? Attack!" he pointed to the monsters as he yelled the last word, and in the chaos that ensued, helped the wounded Roman to cross the Pomerian Line.

_**Back to Nico's POV **_

"You okay?"

The Roman coughed, she was clearly a female. "Yes, it's a miracle you showed up when you did, Nico," I recognized that voice…

"Reyna?" She removed her helmet, and I instantly recognized the piercing dark eyes and glossy black hair. **(AN: I don't really remember what the description of her looks is, so I'm making do with what I have) **I honestly thought she was dead.

"Well, I'm not, clearly." Did I just say that out loud? "Yes, and that too."

I felt some bit of heat rush to my face. "Reyna, what happened? What have the monsters been doing?"

She scowled. "If you weren't a coward and didn't hide, then you'd know that they've been trying to take New Rome for weeks now. We've barely managed to fight them back, and they would have defeated us if you hadn't arrived when you did…"

I got a little angry when she said I was being a coward. "First of all, I was busy, readying for an assault on the Giants, and second, you're welcome." I said that last half kind of smugly.

The female _praetor_ playfully punched my shoulder, but I winced, since she can really punch and I'm still mostly jiggly flesh. "We still need your help. There's a commander out there, and if we defeat him, then the monsters won't be organized enough to start a counter-attack, and we'd be able to push them back."

"And why can't you do this yourself?"

She replied by coughing up blood.

"Okay then, who am I aiming for?"

Reyna smiled a bit. "This will be a great way to prove yourself, Nico. You're looking for the Minotaur."

* * *

**AD: DUN DUN DUUUUN! Well Nico, this looks bad for you!**

**Nico: What? You're having me fight the Minotaur!  
**

**AD: Well, Percy can do it. Twice.  
**

**Nico: You made me say it yourself, I'm not Percy!  
**

**Reyna: And why am I so friendly to him?  
**

**AD: Well, he needs a girlfriend.  
**

**Nico and Reyna: WHAT?!  
**

**AD: Kidding, kidding. But hey, you two agree on something, so that could be a sign!  
**

**Aphrodite: *squeals*  
**

**Nico and Reyna: *brandishes weapons*  
**

**AD: Uh-oh. *RUNS*  
**

**AD: Well, Review people! Or I'll- AUGH *a flaming dagger flies by my head* LEO I THOUGHT YOU WERE ON MY SIDE?!  
**

**Leo: Sorry man! Anything for the ladies! But hey, readers, rate and review! *throws another flaming dagger*  
**


	3. How to Fight an Infamous Monster

**AD: Hey guys! I'm not sure how late or early this is, it just depends on my accuracy, but Merry Christmas! (yaaaayyyy)**

**Nico: Merry Christmas! Wait, why did I say that? DID YOU FORCE ME TO?!**

**AD: Yep. I like f*cking with you guys!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: How to Fight an Infamous Monster **

I froze. The _Minotaur?! _I'm dead. I am so dead. Reyna obviously noticed my doubt, because she said "Don't worry, Nico. I know you can do this, so get out there, and kill that monster. You'll do great."

It took a while to consider these words. But eventually, "Okay. Where do I find him?"

(LINE BREAK)

Reyna ordered – and I don't see why I followed those orders, I'm no longer a Roman – me to shadow travel to a location behind their lines, where the Minotaur was resting from a fight between him and Dakota. _Well, if he's injured…_

I reached the area behind their lines, and saw that the Minotaur, who may not really have any knowledge of how to lead a battle, was resting. Alone. One of his horns was cut off, and he had a sword in his left arm. He was only wearing underwear – I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms. Not a pleasant sight, I'm telling you.

I ducked into the shadows. Armed with only a broken sword, weak magical powers and a cheap pistol, I was going to need a plan.

The area the battle will take part in would be a small patch of flat land behind the monster lines. The Minotaur wasn't too far behind them, but in front of a command tent. There were several barrels of what I guessed was gunpowder and other explosive material. It wouldn't kill the beast, but it would definitely do some damage, and I could ignite and detonate the barrels with Mercy. (Can't tell if I forgot to mention, but Mercy is the pistol.) If I did that, then I'd have about… five minutes before the monsters come to investigate the explosion. I could use a minor spell to rip the sword out of his arm and wield it, but I'd lose a lot of energy, and sprinting up there would be suicide.

I'd also forgotten that if I just formed plans involving the environment, then I'd have no idea what the Minotaur himself would do. I could always just improvise, but then I'd have a smaller chance of success there. Oh well.

I made a quick prayer to Fortuna, I was gonna need all the luck I could get.

(LINE BREAK)

I wasted no time, shadow traveling to the Minotaur's shadow, striking the back of his knee and tearing his hand apart while retrieving the sword. He would have roared in pain if I hadn't slit his throat. He fell to the ground, dead.

* * *

**AD: Well. That was impressive, no?**

**Nico: Wait… it was that easy?**

**AD: Nope.**

**Nico: What do you mean? The chapter's over!**

**AD: Do you really think I'd end it there? PLACES, EVERYONE!**

* * *

I stared at the corpse. I'd done it? I did it! I killed the Minotaur!

I nearly shadow travelled back, until I realized something.

Monsters disintegrate when they die.

I slowly and hesitantly looked behind me, and narrowly avoided being trampled by a bull-man-cross thing. Yeah, he lives. I should be able to sense his death, shouldn't I? And right now, he had some lurking on him. I'm guessing this meant he was dying, or he was dead, but is fighting against Thanatos' will.

I cursed as I raised the sword, it felt unbalanced in my hands. I was backed into a tree, and the sword actually somehow _broke,_ Dakota's cheap piece of… Anyway, I had no other options when the Minotaur charged, again, his arms outstretched on both sides, meaning I couldn't evade.

Time slowed down. I don't know how I did it, but I leaped up, kicking off the tree, and landed on the bull's back, latching onto his horn. _Percy could fight this thing, right? When he was twelve – with no training. _

I unsheathed my "dagger," and used whatever sharp edge was left to slice right through the bone, separating the horn from the body. The Minotaur roared and threw me off, and I hit the ground hard with a very large _THUD._ And a bad sounding_ CRACK. _I'm not sure what was broken.

My dagger landed pretty far out of my reach, and I quickly snatched the only thing nearby off the ground, the horn. _One shot… _

"Hey, Ground Beef!" That got his attention. He looked at me, eyes red with rage. I'm not sure whether it was from the ground beef thing, or the horn detatchment.

He roared.

_Come on,_

Got ready to charge.

_I'm ready._

Started running.

_Little more…_

He was right in front of me.

_Here we go._

I slashed through his knee, using as much strength as I could. That, combined with the momentum in the opposite direction of the cut, forced him to topple over, knocking over several gunpowder barrels that all fell on his head. Gunpowder, kerosene, there was a lot of crap there that seemed flammable. The shadows seemed to gather around the barrels. I unholstered Mercy.

And fired.

There was a large and loud explosion, that blew high into the air, lighting up the sky. It mixed with the yellow dust, and sent it flying in every direction.

I gave a small "salute" to the Minotaur.

"Rest in piece…" I started to walk away. "…You ugly sack of shit."

* * *

**AD: There, Nico. Now it's over.**

**Nico: *looks down* No it's not.**

**AD: Yeah, I know.**

* * *

I picked the dagger off the ground and sheathed it, holstered Mercy, and held the horn in my hand.

And then I heard yelling.

Monsters, enemy half-bloods, of course. I dived into the nearest shadow, escaping to the safety of the Pomerian Line.

* * *

**AD: There. NOW it's over. Nico, shut up. **

**Anyway, a few words to the people that reviewed! c: **

**Crystal Daughter of Hades: Thanks, little sis! And don't worry, I had earplugs in as soon as she arrived.**

**GaleSynch: No, it won't. I can't exactly think of anyone to pair Nico with, but she's too old for him. In my opinion, anyway. **

**Well, review, my dear readers! Send me your opinion!**

'**Else the God of Death and Demons will have your soul! **

**And… your inner demons…**

**Yeah, just review!**


	4. In Life, In Death

**AD: And here it is, the next chapter! **

**Nico: Yes, the next portion of my torment. RICK! HELP ME!**

**AD: Rick's not coming for you, brother. **

**Nico: Wait, brother?**

**AD: … Obliviate. (Harry Potter reference! XD)**

* * *

**Chapter 3: In Life, in Death. **

_**Third Person POV **_

The tide had turned within moments. With the sound and sight of an explosion forming behind the monster's ranks, they froze and turned around, only to see that little "Fireworks" show. The Romans quickly took advantage of that moment of chaos, and eliminated most of their front line. Mortals who had found the courage to help out were armed with bows, which were all simple enough for them to fire volleys with, and so they fired volley after volley into the monster's ranks, thinning them even further. With the odds stacked against them, the monsters retreated. The Roman campers and the mortals cheered, and started taking whatever they could from the battlefield. Spoils of war, they say, spoils that will actually be used in the next battles. Pretty soon, the entire valley was calm.

_**Back to Nico's POV **_

I flew out of a random shadow, and face planted into a conveniently placed statue of Terminus. "Well now! Watch where you are going, Son of Hades!"

I pushed myself away, wiping some unknown substance off my face with my sleeve, "Ow, well, sorry, but I can't exactly see where I'm shadow travelling, Terminus."

"Well, try not to fly out with so much force next time!"

"Yeah, I'll consider it. Anyway, can you tell me where Reyna is?"

"Oh, well, of course! She's right over there, you see where I'm pointing?" I sighed and facepalmed.

"Terminus, you really have to get out of that habit, you have no limbs."

"Do you really have to bring that up? Oh, fine, she's at the camp with the other leaders, they're celebrating their victory."

"Leaders? What happened to all the formal terms?"

"Well, Son of Hades, after Gaea and her Giants began invading, we've lost any time we had to form a system. We only know that the centurions are leaders, and Reyna herself is at the highest part of the chain." Whoa. A lot's changed.

"Okay. Thanks, Terminus." I turned around and started to walk down the path to the camp.

* * *

I don't feel like writing down what next happened, so use your imagination. Basically, I got a hero's welcome and a lot of food. Then Reyna asked for a conversation in private.

* * *

"So, what was it you wanted?" We found a nice bench to sit down at, in a park in New Rome.

"We need to talk about something." She appeared to be waiting for a response, but I stayed silent. Reyna sighed, "You know as well as I do, that war is coming, again. And most of us are unprepared. We have no ranks, no training, and no hero with the courage to fight these people. Except you, Nico."

"What are you talking about?"

"You managed to save me, you had the guts to jump into the middle of a warzone."

"It was minor. Anyone could have done it."

"No, Nico-"

"Reyna, I know you're trying to encourage me, but I'm no hero." She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off, "I ran away during the final battle. I didn't even bother to try to help, I just… ran. I was a coward, if anyone should be in Tartarus, it's me."

"Nico-"

"And my father is Death! When has death ever saved anyone?! _How_ can death save anyone?! Besides put them out of their misery…"

"Nico! Listen to me!" I shut up.

She sighed. "In life…" oh great, a speech, "In life we have fallen. We have been defeated, Gaea and her Giants have captured the only people we know that can stop her, she has taken all our hope, for no one has the courage or strength to stand up to her. But," she put her hand on my shoulder, "In Death, a hero lies. One who hasn't awakened, because he refuses to. He will save us, and I know he can. He is the only one that will." When she noticed me finally giving in, she said one last sentence, one that I never thought I would hear:  
"That hero is you, Nico di Angelo."

Reyna stood up and walked away, leaving me to think.

* * *

**Well, there it is. A speech-type-thing from Reyna, meant to encourage Nico. In life, in death. **

**AD: Anyway, a few words to the two people that reviewed last chapter! I have… ten reviews so far. Yay! It's still an amount, right?**

**TO: Crystal di Angelo: I know monsters can still cross the line. I just think Terminus can blow them up c: Or that the Romans have enough of a defense around the city to keep the monsters out. **

**TO: ReaderOfManyFantasticWords: Nice username!**

**AD: Anyway, that's all I've got. Review, my dear PJO fans, and why do I keep reading "PJO" as "PGO?" **

**AD: Hello?**

**AD: Oh great, did all of Rick's characters abandon me?**

**AD: Jerks. ;^;**

**AD: FINE! I DON'T NEED YOU ANYWAY! **


	5. Go to Hell

**AD: Okay… so I had no idea what to do for this chapter, so I just decided to go "Meh. Improvise."**

**AD: So… here's a really cheap chapter that didn't have much work put into it!**

**AD: On that happy note, HAPPY NEW YEAR! (LAAATE!)**

**Chapter 4: Go To Hell**

Three days. For three days, I've been preparing for this. A fallen hero's sword was sheathed at my side, and my dagger was tucked into my belt, Mercy was holstered, attached to my thigh. My backpack was full of supplies, a rope dart, (I prefer to refer to it as "Pointy Death on a String") a flashlight, several energy bars and water bottles, and a roll of duct tape **(AN: Ahh, duct tape XD XD inside joke, sorry)**.

I went out to some safe, isolated location, to shadow travel away. I was going to execute a very under-developed plan. A suicide mission, really.

I was going to Hell.

Tartarus.

And I would have made it out without being spotted, but of course, someone had to say "Where do you think you're going."

I turned around, seeing Reyna standing there, arms crossed, a stern expression on her face.

I had no idea what to say.

Well, besides "I, uh, err, well-" I was saved from the embarrassment when Reyna cut me off:

"Before you go out to do whatever it is you're gonna do, just remember that you can't fight Gaea alone. Especially without proper training."

"I wasn't going to fight Gaea! Yet… at least not directly."

"Then wait…" Reyna seemed confused here, "What are you doing?"

"I assume you're familiar with the phrase; 'Go to Hell?'"

Reyna gasped, whether it was serious and she was worried, or thought it was a joke, and was mocking me, I wasn't sure. "You're going to Tartarus?"

"Well, everyone's down there. I think I should be able to save at least one God or demigod."

"Nico, come on, it's too dangerous down there, you can't go in there without-"

"Proper training, military strategy, the correct tools, blah blah blah, Reyna I have to do this. You can't stop me."

Reyna sighed. "I was going to say a partner."

"…What."

"I'm going with you."

Well, that was unexpected. "Reyna, I'm going to Hell, literally. You don't know what it's like down there"

"Oh, and like you do?"

I flinched, remaining silent. "Actually…"

Her eyes widened. "Oh Gods, Nico…"

I turned to face her, "There are two sides to the Doors of Death. One in the House of Hades, and one in Tartarus. I was forced through one, and wound up in the other. I've been to Hell. Literally. It's taken me an entire year to work up the courage to go down there again. Trust me Reyna, it's definitely better if you stay here."

Reyna was silent, she had no idea what to say. Until she finally said "I can handle it. I'm assuming Percy told you my story?" I nodded. "After I escaped from Blackbeard, Hylla brought me here. She argued with the old _praetor _for a while, I was forced to choose who I would follow, Hylla, to the Amazons, or the _praetor, _to stay with the Romans."

She paused for a moment, taking a moment to think. "That's when you met Jason."

She nodded, "Yeah. I'll admit, I had a crush on him ever since I first laid eyes on him, but I never found the chance to tell him. I was only twelve back then, still afraid of my feelings. And then, four years later, when I decided that I had enough courage to take a leap of faith and tell him, Juno took Jason from me, from us. I couldn't show anyone my pain, so I was left to cry alone in my house. Then Percy came along. He reminded me of Jason, maybe that's why… don't tell anyone this, or I'll kill you," she noticed I was holding back laughter, " I had a crush on both of them. When Jason came back, holding hands with that Piper girl…"

"You were heartbroken." She nodded. I felt kind of down, "I could relate," I had a huge crush on my best friend last year, after Kronos' defeat and before Percy was brought here. "I had a friend, and I somehow managed to fall in love with her. And then she joined the Hunters of Artemis."

"Hylla told me about them… they swear off love forever?"

I nodded, "You and I have had the same situation, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, misery loves company."

"I suppose."

"How did we even get into this conversation?"

"What?"

"We were talking about going to Tartarus, and now we're having a long talk about dates."

"Oh."

"Well, you wanted to come along, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, brace yourself." I grabbed her shoulder and threw ourselves into the nearest shadow.

I was vaguely aware of Reyna screaming.

* * *

We appeared in the Underworld, at the edge of the large pit that was Tartarus. Reyna was on the ground beside me, frozen in shock and fear. When she snapped out of it, she glared at me, "Never. Do. That. Again."

I chuckled. "I said brace yourself. Now, we've got to figure out how to get down there…"

"Couldn't you just shadow travel us down?"

"Why do you think I brought us here? Tartarus is the domain of a Primordial God, I can't exactly shadow travel through dimensions. We'll have to go down the old fashioned way."

"Which is…?"

"You have a rope on you, by any chance?"

"No…"

I sighed. "Guess we're using the dart…" I pulled the said weapon out of the bag, as well as something else…

"Is that duct tape?"

"Duct tape can solve the world's problems, right?"

"Nico, that's just a joke- oh." She shut up when she noticed me duct-taping the dart to a flat rock, as well as impaling the dart itself in there. Or, tried to, anyway. "Yeah, that might take a while."

"Well, it took some brute force, some glue, and one Hell of a lot of duct tape, but that should hold." I was about to go down, but froze when I heard a lot of screaming, blades entering and exiting flesh, whip lashes, and was that- skin slapping against skin? I stepped back. And looked at my questmate, gesturing to the pit: "Ladies first?"

* * *

**AD: Yes, my friends! That is chapter five! It was supposed to be longer, but I ran out of time... sorry :c**

**Nico: Well, at least we don't have to go through Tartarus yet!  
**

**AD: There's only one monster in there, Nico, it won't be too bad.  
**

**Nico: YES IT WILL.  
**

**AD: NICO SHUT UP. *AD bans Nico from chat client*  
**

**Anyway guys, you should review!  
**

**Please?  
**

**TELL ME WHAT I'M DOING WRONG!  
**


	6. Jailbreak

**AD: Hey guys! I just found some weird reason to write this!**

**AD: Nothing like nearly getting your eye whacked out to get you in the mood!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Jailbreak**

Reyna grunted as she hit the ground with a _thud._ I somehow managed to remain completely silent, long enough to peek around a rock and give Reyna the _all clear_ sign.

We silently made our way accross the prison, heading to the deepest pit of Tartarus, where the Gods are surely held.

Or the heroes. It's hard to tell which one the Giants hate more.

"Tartarus is more confusing than the Gods damn Labyrinth, I swear..."

We were wanderig in circles for thirty minutes. Well, not circles. I think. It's hard to tell, with the scenery. Reyna commented "That rock looks familiar..." after we passed it for about the forty-fifth time from my perspective.

We stopped walking when we heard something. Footsteps.

_Very loud _footsteps.

Almost like...

Hooves.

I pulled Reyna behind a rock (I honestly don't know why she's so unfocused today...) and waited.

And waited.

And waited- until a half bull, half man stomped through the tunnel.

The Minotaur.

Normally, in a normal story, the girl would say "What is _he _doing here?" But Reyna clearly understood that I sent him down here and he's the only one on guard duty. I guess the Giants know we can fight back now.

"Nico, he's probably heading to the God's prison." Reyna whispered into my ear (Gods, she was so close! Most of her body was in contact with mine. I felt a... tugging feeling, at... Damn hormones!) I never really thought of that. I nodded to her, and we silently followed the half-naked bull-man. (Not a pleasant sight, I tell you) He took several paths, we almost lost him several times, but eventually, he stopped. He was in front of a large, iron door, with every single monster engraved into the metal. He turned around and stood guard.

_Great. No way to get past him now... _I looked at Reyna, with the question clearly visible: _Any ideas? _She shook her head, sadly. We just stared at the bull-man for a while, trying to think of anything. Anything at all. Nothing came to mind.

We couldn't charge him, Minotaur's too strong to beat, especially since we clearly couldn't suprise him now. We couldn't sneak up on him, if we moved from this position, he'd see us and charge. I stared at my dagger, wondering how I could use magic here. Set his crotch on fire? No, I have no idea how to do that... In fact, I have no idea how to use magic- oh crap he spotted us.

Reyna and I froze, all because of the _ROAR _that just came from in front of us.

We split up when he charged, and then he smashed and destroyed the boulder we were just hiding behind. I unsheathed my sword, hoping I could kill him, until he swatted it aside. The sword left my hand, flying over to some unknown location. I went with it.

_SLAM! _

I flew into a rock. It hurt. A. Freaking. Lot. The sword was nowhere in sight or reach. Nor was Reyna.

The bull strode towards me. Whether for a dramatic effect or just to look cool, I don't know.

He was getting closer,

Closer...

Closer...

And then stopped. A pale blue light shone from behind me, when I went to see what it was, nothing was there. At all. I was very confused, until I realized something.

I looked down at my hands, to see a light, a manifestation of power, shining in my grasp.

Hecate's Blessing.

I smirked.

And looked up at the Minortaur, who clearly looked confused. I held my hands out to him, uttering a strange word, not many people would understand: _"Ecie!" _A layer of frost started to build on the monster, and eventually froze into ice. Magic words, I suppose.

I did the usual cliche reaction for when a teenage boy going through puberty finds out he has powers.

I chuckled. And poked the ice sculpture.

I found Reyna staring at me, jaw dropped. She recovered herself, yelling "HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!"

I replied with a simple "Hecate's blessing." I turned to the door. _"Alohomora." _

Silence.

"I didn't think that would work." Reyna shoved me out of the way and just pushed the doors open. "Oh."

* * *

**ONE LONG, OMINOUS, DARK HALLWAY LATER...**

* * *

We exited into a guard post with two doors. One had a cloud engraved into it, the other had a sword. Both were made of metal. We couldn't decide which to go through first.

Eventually, after a long, unneccesarry arguement, we flipped a coin, and Fortuna gave us the sword door.

The room behind it was small, smelly, and had seven figures inside. We could clearly tell who it was.

Reyna was the first to do something. "Percy! Jason!" She launched herself at the two, tackling them in a hug. Since when did she give hugs- oh, right, crush. Crush_es. _I chuckled, and turned to the other four, who I hoped were happy to see us.

They were all covered in dirt, was the first thing I noticed. Piper, for some reason, was the cleanest out of all of them, Leo, not so suprisingly, as the worst. They all smiled weakly. "Nico..." Hazel! I rushed over to her and threw my arms around her. My sister gets the first hug.

I pulled away and started to make sure she wasn't hurt in any way- "Nico, come on, I'm fine!" She was sitting in the most shadowy corner.

"You can never be too sure," I stood up and turned to everyone else. Reyna was done glomping her two crushes, and I think I was the only one to notice that her cheeks were slightly pink. "Is everyone else alright?"

Leo coughed. "Yeah. Most of us, anyway." He gestured to one of the others, he had a large build, and was lying still. Frank.

Oh Gods. "I... I sense death." Leo nodded. Something horrible happeed to him, his eyes didn't hold the same mischeivious look they had before. His grin was gone.

Piper whispered into my ear what happened, and it was truely horrible. One of the worst tortures for each of them, alinging to something in their lives that would make them all want to die. Leo was forced to summon a fire, Frank's firewood was thrown into it, and Hazel was forced to watch. Piper's voice was used to charmspeak Leo into it, and everyone chooses to avoid her.

Percy and Jason had the worst punishments out of all of them. With the two of them being the leaders of the two camps.

There is no worse torment, for a leader, than to see everyone the've lead dying at their feet. They were cursed with visions of those, whether they were fake or not. And Annabeth...

Annabeth wasn't tortured.

She was one of Percy's.

She was murdered.

Raped.

And killed.

Right in front of him.

Reyna kneeled by the two leaders, who were side by side. She was clearly crying. I could see why. Her best friend was in a coma. The person she loved was broken. Tears cascaded down her face. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Nico..." Piper's voice came from behind me. I turned around "We all know you came to save us, but you can't."

"What- but, we-"

"No." There was charmspeak in her voice. "If we go missing, Gaea will notice. She'll send her full force after you, and you can't let that happen."

"Piper..."

"Go next door. Ask the Gods for whatever help they can supply you with. We can't do anything."

"I..."

"Go! GO!" Her charmspeak was strong. Reyna and I stood up, against our will, and walked to the door, and out, where it locked itself right behind us.

* * *

The Gods were in somewhat better condition. They weren't as wounded as the demigods, but that's probably because they're immortal. They noticed me, and some acknoledged. The others looked down.

I went straight to my father.

He coughed. "Nico,"

"Dad." We remained silent. Then hugged, showing weakness for a brief moment.

"Son of Hades, what are you doing here?!" Zeus.

"I... came to try to save you all."

"Boy, if you take us from here, then Gaea-"

"Will notice, send her full force after us, yeah yeah, we heard it from your neighbors." Zeus looked stunned that I would interrupt him.

"They told us to see whatever help we could get from you. I know you can, in any way. Just...please." Zeus thought... and stared at everyone else. Telepathic communication.

"Nico." My father called me over, and I went. "You are my son. I'm proud of you, and I love you. And I have faith in you. Whatever Gaea throws at you, you can defeat it."

"Dad-"

"Son. Listen to me. Go my palace in the Underworld. Find my sword. Once you do, it will be yours."

"Nico!" Reya called. "Monsters, coming our way, we have to get out of here!"

I looked back at the Gods, my father. They all gave me looks, ranging from reassurance to doubt. I took Reyna's hand (What was I thinking?) and shadow traveled to Tartarus' entrance.

* * *

We appeared out of a random shadow, cast by a rock jutting out of the cave wall. "Well, that was close..." Reyna patted some dust off her clothes. I nodded, and we started to walk toward the rope-

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING."

We froze, for the second time that day. An immensely powerful being was right behind us.

We turned around, to see a man wearing a dark suit. It was very stylish, with a white button-up shirt and red tie. He had shoulder-length raven black hair, dark skin and pure black eyes. He stood with a superior sense, and glared at us like we were escaped convicts.

I was the first to speak up, "Tartarus."

"Nico di Angelo. I know you. The Son of Hades."

"That is correct."

Tartarus stared at me, and I glared back. Eventually, he sighed. "You fight against my sister, and I know how chaotic the world has become under her rule. She needs to go down."

I was seriously shocked. "So... you won't kill us?"

"No, no no. In fact, I'll see how I can help. Here, take this." He held out a thin, pure black vambrace.

"I, uh... thanks?" I took it and attached it to my arm.

"Flick your wrist." I did as he told, and an onyx blade shot out of the area below my hand.

A hidden blade.

From... "Assassin's Creed?"

Tartarus smiled. "Good luck on your quest, Son of Hades. You will surely need it."

He fliked his wrist, and everything went black.

* * *

We appeared in the throne room of my father's palace, and it was empty. "Hades said to find his sword, right?" I jumped, Reyna somehow startled me.

"Yeah, and I..." I felt a weird feeling, kind of... drawing me to... the throne. The shadows seemed to gather around it. I walked over to the throne and ran my hand over it, the design that was put into this thing...

I pushed it to the side.

There was a pure black sword lying in a hidden compartment. It was of a very unique design, the blade was curved, like a Persian sword, and had a type of jagged saw blade in the curved part. The other side, the outside of the curve, was so sharp, a string could be cut if it was just lain on it. The sword had a handguard on it, like a royal, British saber,and it went from the hilt to the pommel. The sword had a two-handed grip, but was clearly light enough to hold with one hand.

The true Sword of Hades. I knelt down and reached for it, until:

"Well, what do we have here?" A familiar voice... "Nico di Angelo, Son of Hades? Reyna, Daughter of Bellona? A pleasant suprise. Now, we don't have to hunt you down."

* * *

**AD: Hey guys! Let me explain the "eye whacked out" thing:**

**See, in school, in PE, we're playing hockey! But without skates and protective gear.  
One guy clearly didn't get the words "KEEP THE STICK ON THE GROUND!" He swung it like a freaking golf club, and nearly took my eye out. I just barely leaned back in time to avoid it. I can vaguely remember someone commnt "Good reflexes."**

**AD: Anyways, thanks for reading! You should totally review! **

**AD It's late right now, so... no skit tonight :c Sorry...**


	7. Not Dead Yet

**R4g0r0k: Hey guys! Name change! **

**R4gn0r0k: Anyways, it's a pain in the a*s to type in.**

**R4gn0r0k: But I STILL DO!**

**R4gn0r0k: Anyway, sorry for not updating for ridiculously long periods of time. If I were you, I'd wait until this lazy author updates a few times before reading, not reading every update once it comes out.**

**R4gn0r0k: I'm not sure, but it'll probably satisfy your demigodly impatient self for a while.**

**R4gn0r0k: Unless you're not a demigod.**

**R4gn0r0k: Then you can wait. ^-^**

**R4gn0r0k: Anyway, more good news, I finally figured out what children of Hecate can do.**

**R4gn0r0k: They do magic and control the Mist.**

**R4gn0r0k: So Nico can do that. Let's get it on.**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Not Dead Yet **

I turned to face the old voice, the voice that I had only heard once before. The voice that was burned into my memory.

The man before me wore a white suit jacket and matching slacks. The golden tie stood out over the black shirt underneath, and his leather shoes were caked with dried blood. His pale blond hair was slicked back, and his golden eyes looked as if they had seen all of _time._

He had the sinister grin of a power-hungry madman.

Or a more fitting description: the grin of a newly-revived Titan.

"Kronos," I bitterly spat.

The said Titan grinned wider. "The one and only." My hand inched closer to the sword. I analyzed the situation, he came alone. The doors were open, and no one else stood outside, I couldn't sense anyone in the shadows, and there's no one who could hang from the doorway.

"Why are you in my father's palace?"

"_Grandfather's _palace_, _boy. Gaea let me control this domain. And I must say, I like it." Oh gods.

"That explains a lot, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does."

"First of all," I held up one finger. "You're doing a horrible job. _Your _monsters are staying dead, not the legion, Thanatos is still free. Second:" I held up another finger, "I'm bringing you down."

The Lord of Time stood there, mouth agape, before realizing the second thing I just said. His amused expression converted into one of anger. "You think you can step up to _me_, boy?" A golden light shined in front of him, and when it died down, a weapon, a six-foot-long hilt with a blade equal in length. A scythe. "You're already _dead_."

I tensed, knowing that I couldn't fight him.

At least, not without a weapon. Lucky for me…

A blade of Godly power was within arm's reach.

I sent a glare at Kronos, smirking. "Not yet." He noticed the sword. Everything happened at once. Kronos yelled, sending a bolt of golden energy sailing through the air toward me as I snatched the sword out of it's compartment. A wall of obsidian erupted from the floor, exploding as the bolt collided with it. Dust filled the air, and Kronos leapt through it.

I raised my father's sword to meet his father's scythe. Sparks flew as the blades collided, and it became a battle of brawn, which I knew I would inevitably lose (me, overpowering a millenia-old Titan? Fat chance.) I struck the shaft of the scythe with all the force I could, sending him back, and I leapt away.

_Prove your worthiness to me, Son of Hades… _another voice entered my mind. It was raspy, like a snake. I tried to ignore it.

He charged again, a murderous look in his eyes. I ducked out of the way, hacking through the air and managing to land a nick on his arm. It was a small cut, but he howled in pain. The sword glowed, a pale white. Kronos clutched his wound, glaring at me. Seeing a chance to strike, I dived into the nearest shadow and reappeared behind him, driving my blade into the back of his knee in one fluid motion.

I kicked him in the chest so he lay on his back, and I planted my knee on his torso, holding him down and applying pressure to his possibly cracked ribs.

Glaring into his golden eyes, I said to him: "When you join your mother in Tartarus, tell her…" I flicked my wrist, causing the black blade to shoot out of the vambrace, "We're not dead yet." I drove the blade through his heart. He went limp.

Dead. The Titan glowed gold, his body dissolving into dust. Instead of reforming, the particles were sucked into the bracer on my wrist. A golden scythe was etched into the design, but I paid it no mind.

I had fought Kronos. And I lived. I came out of the fight unscathed.

Whatever happened to my horrible luck?

I looked at the new symbol on the bracer. A scythe… the symbol glowed, and in my hands was a six foot long scythe.

Kronos' scythe. It shifted in my hands, and began to morph, transforming into a sword. Four feet long, a mix of Celestial Bronze and tempered steel.

_Backbiter, _the name entered my mind. And so did another:

_Luke. _

The sword vanished in a flash of light.

The Sword of Hades lay on the ground, beckoning. I took it again, and another presence entered my mind:

_Impressive, child. You are truly worthy, are you not? Your father has entrusted me to you, and therefore… You are my master. Wield Scomparsa with pride, Nico di Angelo. _

_Scomparsa._ I instantly translated the Italian.

Death.

Creative name. The sword felt warm in my hands, and it morphed as well, becoming a three foot long sword of Stygian Iron, etched with silver. The guard was made of gold, in the shape of an "X." The grip was leather, and fit perfectly in my hand. The pommel was a ruby, perfectly balancing the weapon.

It vanished in a burst of shadow.

"Nico!" Reyna came in from another room. When she snuck off, I had no idea. "This," she held up a package. "Just appeared." She handed it to me, pointing out the "To: Nico" written on the side.

The parcel had a black card tied to it, with a _"__T" _written on it in gold ink. I flipped it over, reading the note written on back aloud.

"_Dear Kid,_

_Gaea might control WHO leaves my pit, but I control WHAT. Your friends want you to have these. Put them to good use, Kid._

_Love, T." _

I looked up at Reyna. "I… never thought the ruler of the prison of the Gods would say 'love.'"

"Yeah… open the package, would you?"

_Right… _I ripped open the package, like a present on Christmas. Inside was a box containing a pure black void. I mean, seriously, it was a bottomless pit in that thing. I hesitantly reached in, and something was forced into my hand. When I pulled it back out, I was holding a ballpoint pen. "My Gods…" I flicked off the cap, causing three feet of sharpened Celestial Bronze to shoot out. A familiar, leaf-shaped sword was in my hand. "Riptide. Perce…" I grimaced, remembering my friend and his brutal tortures. _Thanks Tartarus, for sending me these cruel reminders. _

I reached back into the box. He said "these," so there must be more. This time, I pulled out a dagger. It was neatly polished and clear. I could see my reflection (A pale, scared kid with bags under his eyes and dark brown hair.) clearly. Kaptropis, Piper's dagger. Another thing shot out, like it was pissed off I didn't take it too, it was her sheath. I caught it, attaching it and the dagger to my chain belt.

A note shot out, which Reyna caught and read aloud: "You'll know when it's empty."

I shrugged, reaching in again. This thing was, definitely larger than the others, I pulled out a sheathed Roman _gladius. _I felt an electric shock rush through me as I recognized the sword. Jason's sword. Without another word, I tucked the electricity-conducting sword and sheath into my belt.

**(R4gn0r0k: This is where I got tired of typing this all in.) **

From the box, there came Hazel's _spatha, _Leo's tool belt, Annabeth's laptop (Which shrunk into a phone, so I didn't have to figure out how to carry it around) and her knife. They all belonged to my friends, and I quickly developed an emotional connection with each item.

The cavalry sword was strapped to my back, both daggers were strapped to my thighs, Jason's sword strapped to my belt and Riptide in my pocket. I strapped the belt diagonally across my chest, concealing it under the black, leather coat. Calling upon Hecate's blessing, I concealed all the weapons under the remains of the Mist. They were invisible, but would reappear when I unsheathed or dropped them.

Oh, how I love manipulating the Mist.

I stood up, looking back at Reyna, who had been watching me gear up the entire time. "What now?" she asked.

I looked out the window, at the emptiness that was the Underworld. Only a few souls remained, the ones who were satisfied with death. Now though, the Fields of Punishment were empty. "I don't know," I replied. "But we'll need allies."

"Where are we even going to find them?"

"Only time will tell, I guess. We'll have to wait. In the meantime, we'll have to prepare. Camp Jupiter isn't ready for a war, we need to make it so that it is."

The female praetor nodded. "Where do we start?"

* * *

**R4gn0r0k: Well, there's the short little chapter. Seriously, I'm sorry I am incapable of writing anything longer. **

**R4gn0r0k: But this is probably the longest one I've written. **

**R4gn0r0k: Anyways, we're probably gonna reach the war part of this story soon. Just be prepared for a major timeskip. **

**R4gn0r0k: So I've decided to keep track of Nico's arsenal from now on. Here it is:**

***BLADES (8)**

**Scomparsa (Sword of Hades)**

**Riptide (Percy's memento) **

**Backbiter (Kronos' scythe-did you know it transforms into Luke's sword?) **

**Juno/Jason's gladius (That sword Juno gave to Jason- did you know it conducts lightning?)**

**Kaptropis (Piper's dagger.)**

**Annabeth's knife (She left it behind)**

**Hazel's spatha (It had to go somewhere)**

**Broken sword (He can't let go of the blade he forged himself!)**

***RANGED WEAPONS (1)**

**Mercy (Nico's only semi-automatic pistol, given to him by Annabeth's dad.) **

***MISC (2)**

**Leo's magic tool belt (Whatever he will use this for, I don't know. He can think of something, though.)**

**Daedalus' laptop (That magical, hi-tech laptop that doesn't seem to attract monsters. Daedalus gave it to Annie in Battle of the Labyrinth.) **

**R4gn0r0k: Eight swords, one gun, two non-combat items and an infinite amount of tools. Nico's got a pimped-out arsenal, doesn't he? **

**R4gn0r0k: Be prepared for a pimped out time skip, in:**

**The Ghost King or some garbage title like that. **


	8. Brotherhood and War

**R4gn0r0k: Yo.**

**R4gn0r0k: I'm gonna change my name back to something that says AD. **

**R4gn0r0k: Yeah. That's easier to type. Anyway, here's the next chapter. There's a poll up on my profile for who Nico should be with. Knock yourselves out. **

**R4gn0r0k: Wow, this intro seems too serious.**

**R4gn0r0k: . . .**

**R4gn0r0k: chicken, nugget, biscut, nuggetinabiscut.**

**R4gn0r0k: …Nothing? Fine, a*sholes… **

**R4gn0r0k: Anyway, I have another story idea and will start writing it once both my stories have ten chapters each. Author's note included. Don't get your hopes up :P **

**R4gn0r0k: So. Any of you like Rise of the Guardians? **

**R4gn0r0k: Because that movie was f*cking awesome.**

**R4gn0r0k: You should watch Wreck-it-Ralph too. Those movies were epic.**

**R4g0r0k: Anyways, someone asked if Thalia was going to be a part of this story.**

**R4gn0r0k: Not gonna give too many spoilers, but let's just say **_**everyone **_**might make it here. **

**R4gn0r0k: Anyway, this is gonna be an uneventful chapter, just explaining the setting of the true story. Everything before this: That was the prologue, one of those ridiculously long ones that annoy the players in games. This is where it really begins.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Brotherhood and War**

The next year went by fast. It was uneventful besides the occasional monster scouting party.

Camp Jupiter's system was restored. The legion was returned to it's former glory. New Rome was rebuilt after finally finding some time to rebuild (again). The city's denizens were happy, it was almost as if there wasn't a war coming. It would have felt like that too, if there weren't fortifications everywhere surrounding the city. In the fields, small fortresses were erected around the city, trenches were dug, rocks were placed. The valley looked like a battlefield from World War II or something. Camp had started to modernize it's arsenal, we had several rifles and pistols in the armory, thanks to the black market dealers we just so happened to have rescued.

I found out that there were actually several survivors from the massacre at Camp Half-Blood. Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner Iris-messaged me, apparently the only Greek they could contact. About, forty campers managed to escape from the carnage. They met up on Olympus (Which reopened without Godly power to keep it closed) and have been hiding out up there, trying to contact any other camper, satyr, minor God or nature spirit. They went through a large list before finally reaching me.

Also, I found out that Travis and Katie started dating.

Tratie lives.

I asked if they could fight their way across the States to San Francisco, to which they quickly confirmed they could. The remaining Greeks made it here a few days after, in awe of the city.

Believe me, I was too, the first time I came.

Now, after two years, I had changed. I lost most of my flab, for one, and had started to develop muscle. (I had a six pack, apparently. Some of the girls ogled at me. Except Reyna, to my knowledge) my hair was longer, at least long enough to stylishly cover my eye and the back of my neck. After using Kronos' power frequently, one of my brown eyes went a dull gold (Heterochromia). **(A/N: Nico has a slim figure and light build. He looks anime with his hair slicked down.) **I figured out how to use the Mist as a storage – all I had to do was imagine some kind of container, I used a large vault (the combo was 4/1/3, being the only thing I could think of). Some voices in my head kept telling me it wasn't the Mist, but the, uh, dua – du – due… the Duel? I don't even know. I call it the Vault. In the vault though, there was this weirdly shaped sword, it had a curved blade. Reyna said it was of Egyptian origin, but didn't know anything else. Talking to Annabeth's siblings was… painful for me, I couldn't ask them. I decided to shrug off the ideas. It was a sword, and, despite not Celestial bronze or Imperial gold (it can't be Stygian – believe me, I would know) it would be a good self-defense blade… against crazed mortals.

There have been a few tensions between the Greeks and Romans. But today…

* * *

I raised my blade just in time to deflect a Roman _gladius,_ swiftly flicking my wrist and disarming him. He dashed away, going for his lost sword, as four more legionnares came at me, armed with _pila _and the occasional dual _gladius. _

I reached into the Vault, closing my hand around Jason's sword and withdrawing it, Riptide held firmly in my right hand as I went demonic on the group, slashing and hacking, becoming a black blur, blades clashing every half second. I gave them no chance to strike back, feeling no sense of fatigue as I continued my assault. I probably looked like a pimped-out break dancer.

Within minutes, the small group was disarmed.

The battle raged around me, Travis and Katie side-by-side, watching each other's backs as they fended off two Romans each. Will Solace fired arrow after arrow, each shot hitting it's mark. Jake Mason stood atop the fortress' walls with his siblings, all armed with several explosives, throwing them into the ranks within, generally causing mass panic.

With the legions distracted, Malcom, the newly-appointed head counselor of the Athena cabin, nodded to me. _Start the plan, _his expression clearly said. He gave me the thumbs-up.

I capped Riptide and stuffed it into my pocket, pulling the _gladius _sheath out of the Vault and sheathing it, before shadow-traveling behind the walls. Jake and his siblings did his job, everyone within the fort was either on the ground or slumped against the walls. I carefully stepped over the bodies, careful not to stomp on any of them. Show some respect, right?

Reaching the building inside, I set the C4 on the fortified doors and ducked behind a rock, waiting for the explosion.

The door blew up. I vaulted over the wall and dashed to the remains, emerging from the dust to the other side.

* * *

There was only one person inside. She wore golden armor, being clearly light, yet very durable. She had a dagger in her left hand, a sword in her right. Her purple cape hung from her shoulder, pushed behind her back so it wasn't in the way.

I smirked. "Hey, Rey." This would be a good fight. I reached into the Vault, drawing out Kaptropis as I unsheathed Jason's sword.

This should be an interesting fight.

The _praetor _and I circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. I perfectly copied her stance, shorter blade as a defensive tool, sword as the weapon. When it was clear Reyna wasn't going to make a move any time soon, I did. I lunged forward, blades raised and brought down in one fluid move. She barely had time to deflect. I kept up an assault, not giving her a chance to strike back as I tried to find an opening in her defense.

When I found none, I karate-kicked her chest. She was launched back, into the pedestal which held the main objective. On the ground and in pain, she was out of the way. I strode over to the object of interest, picking it off the marble. "Looks like we win, Rey."

I pointed the flare gun to the open ceiling and fired, sending the purple flare flying into the sky. Cheers were heard outside.

I really enjoy the war games.

I went over to Reyna and offered a hand to help her up, which she gladly took. "Congratulations, you Greeks won again."

I smugly smirked, prompting her to stick her tongue out at me. Over the year, she started to become a little more playful, like an actual teenager.

I liked it.

* * *

We strolled outside to be greeted by cheering and confetti. Whoever found enough to load the water cannons, I don't know, but this victory was our twentieth in a row! It deserved celebrating!

I guess Camp Jupiter had a little trouble adjusting to the Greek style of combat. And, you know, the fact that Greeks are used to fighting one vs. many. Most of the heroes that made it from CHB were veterans from the Titan War. Travis and Connor approached me and congratulated me, the usual shoulder pat thing (Reyna later pointed out the two notes that read "My name is:" and "Dickwaffle McCockpopsucker!") saying something along the lines of "Nice work, Bro! Oh look, Dakota's drunk on Kool-Aid!" And then they were off.

Romans and Greeks were united seven months ago, when my side of the family arrived, the Greek side. Hey, Percy and I did manage to gain their favor years ago, and with Reyna's word (And swear on the River Styx that we weren't enemies), the trust started to build.

And we were throwing a party tonight through the forum. We almost beat Camp Jupiter in the war games as many times as the Hunters defeated Camp Half-Blood at capture the flag. Ah, the nostalgia. My first time playing was against the Hunters.

Needless to say, they kicked our asses that night. If I'm not mistaken, this is the same date as the time it happened. Camp Half-Blood, despite it's losses, had now come a long way.

After complementing Jake and his siblings on their non-lethal explosives, Will and the Apollo cabin on their archery, and Travis, Katie, and Connor on their… objectives, I shadow traveled across the Field of Mars back to the city limits. Leaving all my weapons (even Riptide) in the Vault, I made my way through the still-confusing streets of the city to my house. The Senate let me keep one once the city started to rebuild. I changed from my bloodstained clothes (Non-lethal combat does get dirty at times) into a simple long-sleeved tee and jeans (Black shirt with a cartoony skull, black jeans, black converse – it was comfortable). Apparently, according to the Aphrodite girls, I had a subconscious sense of style – I just grab random clothes out of my closet and, all of a sudden, I look goth-but-badass.

I stared at the marks on my arm. The symbol of Pluto and two lines. I was now the second Greek to have been accepted into the Twelfth legion.

* * *

After a few hours (don't ask what I was doing) night fell. The stars managed to shine, and the lights of the city were all on, (probably) giving it a beautiful look from the higher points. I went out to the center of the city, where the giant party was being held.

* * *

The first thing I saw was a streaking son of Hermes.

* * *

The night was full of dancing and strobe lights. Of course, it quickly became a rave. With some techno song playing, people unable to hear the guy or gal two feet away from them, and more confetti, the party got out of hand.

I took to sitting on a roof, watching the entire thing away from the music. People get tired of the deafening noise, you know?

It wasn't long before I heard several light footsteps on the tiles behind me. I knew who they were before I saw them.

"Hey guys," I said with a light smile on my face.

Reyna, Katie and the Stoll brothers each found a spot around me. Reyna, as usual, sat next to me, Katie and Travis by the edge next to each other (With a closeness only couples would achieve), Connor being the only one standing. The five of us became a great circle of friends as the years progressed, and I'll admit, it took a while to get used to it, having friends besides cousins.

* * *

The conversation quickly became one of unicorns by the time the "_ROAR!"_ came.

* * *

We all jumped. Travis cursed as he nearly fell before his brother dived over and stabilized him. The rave below went silent, you could hear a pin drop. I stood.

Everyone turned to the source. The mountain in the distance.

Mount Diablo. The silhouette of a fortress stood, reduced to a shadow by the light of the moon.

My eyes flashed to the mountainside, with blurs of silver quickly ascending. A flash of blue went off on the other side, disappearing and reappearing, moving up the side.

A winged monster flew up, it's silhouette cast by the dimming moonlight, before returning to the summit.

One thought went through my mind, and I thought out loud.

"Finally. Some action."

* * *

**AD: And there's the filler. Guess who's going to be shown?**

**AD: I'm not telling you, no spoilers!**

**AD: Anyways, here's Nico's arsenal:**

***BLADES (8)**

**Scomparsa (Sword of Hades)**

**Riptide (Percy's memento) **

**Backbiter (Kronos' scythe-did you know it transforms into Luke's sword?) **

**Juno/Jason's gladius (That sword Juno gave to Jason- did you know it conducts lightning?)**

**Kaptropis (Piper's dagger.)**

**Annabeth's knife (She left it behind)**

**Hazel's spatha (It had to go somewhere)**

**Broken sword (He can't let go of the blade he forged himself!)**

***RANGED WEAPONS (1)**

**Mercy (Nico's only semi-automatic pistol, given to him by Annabeth's dad.) **

***MISC (2)**

**Leo's magic tool belt (Whatever he will use this for, I don't know. He can think of something, though.)**

**Daedalus' laptop (That magical, hi-tech laptop that doesn't seem to attract monsters. Daedalus gave it to Annie in Battle of the Labyrinth.)**

**AD: Also, a description of Nico's styles of fighting:**

**AD: Nico's large variety of weapons forces him to learn how to use different styles. As you've seen in the chapter above, he is fully capable of dual-wielding swords and daggers, and capable of holding his own against multiple enemies. He uses a fluid mix of Greek and Roman fighting tactics, also being able to incorporate Mercy into combat. He tries to end the fight quickly by giving his opponent no time to strike back, but knows to use a more defensive strategy against more skilled opponents. Also, Nico tends to use his Godly weapons, like Scomparsa and Backbiter, as last resorts. Nico has yet to show how he uses his powers in combat, but it's likely to involve swiftly changing his position to behind his enemy. It is shown that Nico prefers to use stealth and speed, making him more of the Rouge class. He sneaks up to the Minotaur and slits his throat, and evades all of Kronos' strikes, hitting back with attacks full of all the power he could muster. That is Nico's fighting style.**

**AD: Anyway, now I have a general idea of what to use for the next chapter.**

**AD: Just thought I'd let you know, I came up with this chapter as a typed it. **

**AD: Now...**

**AD: To the pen name changer!**


	9. The New Beginning

**Sorry, sorry, I'm rewriting this. **

I just… don't know where to go anymore. I pushed it into this direction, where I have no idea what the HELL should happen next. And I'm also REALLY sorry I took down my first fanfic...

But hey, on the bright side, I'm gonna try again!

And I won't leave you off without showing you what I managed to finish!

**LINE **

**Chapter Eight: Of Shadows, Silver, and Sorcery. The Son of Magic.**

I went ahead.

Step out of a shadow into the Garden of the Hesperides, sneak around the sleeping form of Ladon coiled around the tree. He, fortunately, paid me no mind. Racing up the path, I made my way toward the, now-reforming, palace atop the hill, the former capital of the Titans.

Mount Othrys.

Keeping an eye on the dragon flying in the distance, I made my way up to the fortress, where the chaotic yells and clashing of metal started to sound off behind the walls. My best guess: the Hunters of Artemis were at the scene. Whatever the flash of blue was, I don't know, but I can guess that it wasn't friendly.

Not many things were these days.

Occasionally, a piece of the battle flew out over the wall, things like swords, rocks, and exactly one silver arrow, which only increased my hopes that the Hunters were here.

I also hoped that they wouldn't shoot me on sight.

I was about, halfway there, when the storm spirit came. The cloudy, vapor-like form of a horse flew out from behind the walls, escaping the fight. It would have charged straight through me, if I didn't react with split-second timing, side-stepping and running Tartarus' blade through its flank. The _ventus_ dissolved, but instead of spreading out, it focused, condensed and molded into the bracer.

I felt something new enter me as the symbol of a cloud was engraved into the vambrace in gold.

An electric shock ran down my spine. It felt strange, but natural at the same time. Slowly, a new idea formed.

I held out my hand. A spark ignited in the palm of my hand. Slowly, it built up, and soon, lightning crackled from my fingertips. Thunder rumbled in the sky. Blue light shone from my bracer.

I smiled. "Hell yes."

With newfound resolve, I finally found a shadow and dived through, reappearing before the gates of the fort.

**(A/N: The reason Nico didn't do that before is because he had no idea what was ahead) **

They were shut tight, hoping to trap the Hunters within for a massacre, most likely. But it's not like a locked door was going to stop me.

Especially not now. I flicked my wrist toward the door, pure lighting blasted from my hand, shining brilliantly through the night for less than a second, before colliding with the gates with the force of an artillery shell. Everything went silent, except for the sounds of rubble falling from the remains of the entrance of a castle. An idea came to mind, and my only thought was; _Meh. Why not? _

It was a perfect time for a dramatic entrance.

* * *

Flipping my hood up, I stepped through the ash and dust, taking my sweet time. Just for effect, I had lightning crackle off my form. The light it cast shone onto the dust clouds formed from my grand entrance. It lit my silhouette in the dust. A shadow solidified into Scomparsa as Backbiter shot out of Tartarus' bracer. Lightning coursed off the blades as well. I'm sure I had the silhouette of some badass motherfucker during that moment.

I finally stepped out of the haze to see my entrance had taken the spotlight. Hunter and monster alike were still. They all stared at me. Cyclops and Hellhounds filled the courtyard, a familiar-looking man in a suit stood, facing a silver-clad girl of about, fifteen years of age. Girls in outfits similar to hers stood around the area. Bound to a stone with celestial bronze chains, struggling to hold up a huge funnel cloud, was a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair. Her silver clothes were torn and tattered in several places. A tall boy with dark, brown hair stood above her, his golden sword raised.

Everyone was frozen in their positions, unsure of what to do. My eyes scanned the scene until they landed on a familiar pair of electric blue. I glanced to the boy with his sword raised above the youngest girl in the vicinity.

Returning my attention to Thalia, I sent her a wink before sinking into my shadow and appearing again before the golden sword boy. Closer inspection showed that his eyes were green with bags under them. His face was dotted with freckles.

None of it mattered when I Sparta-kicked him in the gut.

I whirled around to face the little girl in chains. "Lady Artemis."

She looked up toward me, her expression clear. It was full of pain. "Nico di Angelo…"

"There isn't much time, your hunters can't hold off the Gaea's monsters forever. Thalia is facing Atlas, the monsters have gone back to reforming as soon as they're killed, and we have to leave soon." I surveyed the battlefield for a few seconds before coming up with a plan.

"Lady Artemis, how long do you think it would take for the Sky to hit the Earth, if nothing held it back?"

She struggled under the cloud's weight, "Exactly – one – second…" the words came out between puffs of breath.

I glanced back at Atlas.

"Be ready," I warned the Goddess.

She grunted out a noise that sounded something like "Behind you."

I whirled around and raised Scomparsa just in time to deflect a golden sword. Glaring at its wielder, I slipped out to the side. The demigod from earlier lost his balance, stumbling forward. Something seemed off about him, possibly the aura he gave off. It seemed… familiar, somehow.

* * *

**This is as far as I got. What I had planned was for Nico to duel this new guy, Alabaster C. Torrington, a son of Hecate. Alabaster would eventually mention that he is trying to free Artemis and thought Nico was a demigod sent by Gaea to execute her. Nico recognizes him and asks why he changed sides (Alabaster fought on the Titans' during the first series) and the Son of Magic explains that he sees that Gaea will only enslave all mortals. Afterwards, Nico and Alabaster will combine their control over Hecate's power, defeat Atlas and force him under the sky again while Thalia freed Artemis. **

**That was the plan.**

* * *

**AD: I know I made Artemis appear weakened, but hey, man, she's been holding up the sky for quite some time now – she's not used to it yet. **

**AD: The Hunters have also only recently rallied. **

**AD: And yes, I'm trying to make Nico a lot more badass than he already was in the beginning. Trying WAY too hard, aren't I? :P**

**AD: Anyways, here's Nico's arsenal: **

***BLADES (8)**

**Scomparsa (Sword of Hades)**

**Tartarus' Hidden Blade (Forgot about it, didn't you?) (It steals its victims' powers – neat, huh?)**

**Riptide (Percy's memento) **

**Backbiter (Kronos' scythe-did you know it transforms into Luke's sword?) **

**Juno/Jason's gladius (That sword Juno gave to Jason- did you know it conducts lightning?)**

**Kaptropis (Piper's dagger.)**

**Annabeth's knife (She left it behind)**

**Hazel's spatha (It had to go somewhere)**

**Broken sword (He can't let go of the blade he forged himself!)**

***RANGED WEAPONS (1)**

**Mercy (Nico's only semi-automatic pistol, given to him by Annabeth's dad.) **

***MISC (2)**

**Leo's magic tool belt (Whatever he will use this for, I don't know. He can think of something, though.)**

**Daedalus' laptop (That magical, hi-tech laptop that doesn't seem to attract monsters. Daedalus gave it to Annie in Battle of the Labyrinth.)**

**AD: Also, a few explanations:**

**The Son of Magic, Alabaster C. Torrington, is a character who was created by Haley Riordan, Rick's son. He is not mine, nor part of the main Percy Jackson story, but is considered canon in the Percy Jackson world. He's an option for a character to be listed in the characters section. I thought he seemed cool, but I've never read the Son of Magic, so I have no idea how he acts.**

**The second is Tartarus' Hidden Blade. Shamelessly ripping off the iconic Assassin's Creed weapon, I gave Nico the ability to use it to steal an enemy's powers, as you saw after Nico defeated Kronos and above as well. Their essence is trapped in the blade, meaning that they can't reform. This makes sense to me, since Tartarus is a prison. So the weapon he gives would be made to trap, right?**

**This brings us to the issue of why they instantly reform. I've decided that the canon reason (For this story) that Tartarus isn't in control of his own prison is that the Doors of Death being under Gaea's control. I'm saying that it's basically a gateway, and, now that Gaea knows that Nico is amassing armies and allies, very powerful allies, mind you, she's scraping the bottom of the barrel for any monster that could be of assistance. Meaning: she's pulling any possible ally out of Hell. Nico and the demigods have their work cut out for them…**


End file.
